Breaker plate structure



June 11', 1963 -r. E. BRIDGEWATER 3,093,3

BREAKER PLATE STRUCTURE Filed June 28, 1961 s Sheets-Sheet 1 1 H' I 2. V1' l w 2 M H WW INVQENTOR.

June 11, 1963 T. E. BRIDGEWATER 3,

BREAKER PLATE STRUCTURE Filed June. 28, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 III 1NMENTOR g fir'zyezuar 04w, 7% mmm f June 11, 1963 T. E. BRIDGEWATERBREAKER PLATE STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 28. 1961 INVENTOR.

54W, 712/, Mafia {12M 3,693,329 Patented June 11, 1963 3,093,329 BREAKERPLATE STRUCTURE Thomas E. Bridgewater, Elmhurst, Ill. Adams EngineeringCompany, 2151 E. 83rd St., Chicago 17, Ill.) Filed June 28, 1961, Ser.No. 120,219 10 Claims. {CL 241-275) The present invention relates to anovel crushing apparatus, and more particularly to a novel impact typecrushing apparatus in which material to be processed is projectedlaterally outwardly from a central impeller and impinged against breakerplate means surrounding the rotatable impeller.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a novelbreaker plate structure and means for mounting elements thereof wherebysuch elements may be easily and quickly and therefore economicallyinstalled and removed and replaced.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel breakerplate structure constructed so that elements thereof against whichmaterial to be processed is directly impinged are detachably mounted andat the same time firmly supported so as to minimize any possibility ofbreakage thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description and the accompanying drawingwherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a crushing apparatusincorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken generally alongline 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 inFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an element of the breaker platestructure incorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of another element of the breakerplate structure incorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken generally alongline 8-& in FIG. 9 and showing a modified form of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally alongline 9-9 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an element of the breaker platestructure of the assembly shown in FIGS. 8 and 9; and

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing additional elements ofthe assembly of FIGS. 8 and 9.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings wherein like parts aredesignated by the same numerals throughout the various figures, acrushing apparatus 20 incorporating features of the present invention isshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In general, the apparatus comprises anupstanding cylindrical housing 22 having a cover structure 24 removablydisposed thereon. An impeller 26 is centrally disposed within thehousing 22, and mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, whichimpeller is adapted to be driven by means of a suitable motor 28 or thelike, and transmission means comprising pulleys 30 and 3;. and anendless belt 34.

A central opening 36 is provided in the cover 24 over the impeller 26through which material to be processed may be introduced. Such materialfalls on to the impeller 26 which includes a horizontally disposed plate38 and a plurality of blade means 46 which are adapted to engage andaccelerate the material and project the material latad erally from theimpeller at high speeds. Breaker plate means including a plurality ofunits 42 is disposed circumferentially around the impeller and withinthe housing 22, and the material is projected against the breaker platemeans so as to be crushed upon impact therewith.

In accordance with features of the present invention, each of thebreaker plate units 42 is constructed so as to facilitate assembly anddisassembly and so as to promote a long useful life and minimize anypossibility of injury thereto. In this embodiment each of the units 42,comprises a body member 44 adapted to be connected with a bracket 46,and a plurality of wear elements 48 and 50 adapted to be detachalblyconnected with the body member 44-.

In this embodiment, the bracket member 46 which is suitably rigidlysupported with respect to the housing member 22 presents an horizontallyelongated fiat vertical surface '52 facing inwardly and against which aflat rearwardly facing surface 54 of the body member 44 is adapted toabut as shown best in FIGS. 3-5 so that the body member 44 is firmlysupported. The body member 44 is provided with means so that it isquickly detachably connectable with respect to the bracket member 46,and more specifically, this means comprises a pair of hook elements 56and 58 projecting rearwardly from an upper margin of the body member 54-and adapted to engage over the upper margin of the bracket member 46.

The breaker plate members 4-8 and 50 are substantially identical andrespectively include substantially vertically disposed and horizontallycurved impact surfaces 60 preferably arranged so as to be substantiallyperpendicular to trajectories of particles of the material beingprocessed and projected from the impeller against the surfaces. Themembers 43 and 56 are preferably made from a metal alloy having highabrasion resistance characteristics and these members are formed so thatthey substantially cover the body member 44 so as to protect it fromabrasion by the material being processed. On the other hand, the bodymember 44 is preferably formed from a material having high strength andimpact resistance characteristics so as to withstand the shocks createdwhen the material being processed is projected against the breaker platemembers &4 and 48. Furthermore, the breaker plate members and the bodymember 44- are formed so that the breaker plate members are firmlysupported so as to resist injury thereto as a result of impact loads.

As shown in FIGS. 3-6, each of the breaker plate members 48 and Sitincludes first relatively inclined rear surface sections 62 and 64adjacent upper ends thereof and second relatively inclined rear surfacesections 66 and 68 adjacent a lower end thereof. The surface sections 62and 64 are disposed so as to have a generally V-shaped horizontal crosssection, and in addition, the surface sections are inclined downwardlyand rearwardly with respect to the vertical front face 60 as shown bestin FIGS. 4 and 6. The surface sections 66 and 63 are similarly disposedso as to present a generally V-shaped horizontal cross section, butthese surface sections are inclined upwardly and rearwardly with respectto the generally vertical front face 64 The body member 44 is providedwith a pair of seats 70 and 72 respectively for accommodating thebreaker plate members 48 and 50. Each of these seats includes inclinedand recessed upper and lower surface portions 74 and '76 havinggenerally V-shaped cross sections for engaging and supporting thesurfaces 62-64 and 66-68 of the breaker plate members 43 and 50, asshown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Furthermore, each of these seats has suitablyinclined opposite side portions 78 and 80 complementary to andengageable with marginal surfaces 79 and 81 respectively inclinedrelative to and intersecting surfaces 6266 and 6468 of the breaker platemembers so that the breaker plate members will be solidly and firmlysupported by the body member 44.

In order detachably to secure the breaker plate members with respect tothe body member 44, each of the breaker platemembers is provided with arearwardly projecting lug 82 disposed between its surface portions 62-64and 66-68. Each of the lugs 32 has a vertical aperture 84 therethrough.Furthermore, the body member 44 is provided with recesses 86 and 38respectively in the seats 70 and 72 for accommodating the lugs 82.Vertical apertures 99 and 92 are formed in the body member 44, whichapertures traverse the recesses 83 and 86 and are adapted to be alignedwith the openings 84 through the lugs 82 when the breaker plate members44 and 50 are assembled with the body member 44. Wedge elements 94 and96 are adapted to be inserted through the aligned openings in the bodymember 44 and the breaker plate members 48 and 50, which wedge elementsare tapered in the manner shown best in FIG. 4 so that they are adaptedto draw the breaker plate elements firmly against the seat surfaces ofthe body member 44. With this arrangement it will be appreciated thatthe breaker plate members may be easily detachably secured with respectto the body member merely by inserting the wedge elements into thealigned openings. Furthermore, since the openings in the body member 44extend to the lower margin thereof as shown in FIG. 4, the wedgeelements may be easily engaged by means of a suitable tool, not shown,from below so that they may be knocked upwardly from the openings forreleasing the breaker plate members.

FIGS. 8 through 11 show a modified form of the present invention inwhich elements corresponding to those described above are identified bythe same reference numeral with the sufiix :2 added. While only aportion of the apparatus of this embodiment is shown, it is to beunderstood that the apparatus includes housing means, an impellerstructure and drive means essentially identical to that of the abovedescribed embodiment.

In the modified form, the breaker plate members 48a are secured directlyagainst the inner surface of the housing 22a. Each breaker plate member48a is provided with a pair of rearwardly projecting pads 98 and 106having rounded surfaces adapted to conform to the cylindrical innersurface of the housing member 22a. The apertured lug 32a projectsrearwardly from the pads 98 and 100 for extending through an opening 102in the housing member 22a as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this embodiment,the wedge means 94:: comprises a T-shaped element 104 and a pin 1%. TheT-shaped element has a stem portion 108 which is adapted loosely to fitwithin the aperture 84:: through the lug 82a and also to projectentirely through the lug. A hair cross portion 110 of the T-shaped wedgeelement 194 is adapted to overlie the lug 82a so as to limit downwardmovement of the T-shaped member. After the T-shaped member is assembled,the pin 106 is forced into the opening 84a as as shown in FIG. 9. Eitherthe pin 105 or the stem portion 108 or both are tapered so that the pin1% cannot be driven entirely through the opening 84a and will serve todraw the breaker plate member firmly against the inner surface of thehousing member 22a. It will be noted that when the parts are fullyassembled as shown in FIG. 9, the stem 108 projects beneath the lug 82aso that it may be easily engaged by a suitable tool in the event it isdesired to drive the wedge means upwardly for the purpose of releasingthe breaker plate member.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described herein, it is obvious that many structural details may bechanged without departing from the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. In a crushing apparatus of the type described having a centralupright rotatable impeller structure, cylindrical housing meanssurrounding said impeller structure and brackets secured within saidhousing means around said impeller structure and presenting upwardlyfacing support edge means and upstanding abutment surface means, abreaker plate structure disposed around said housing means and radiallyoutwardly of the impeller structure and including a support memberdisposed against said surface means and including hook means engagingover said edge means, said support member having an opening therein, abreaker plate member abutting said support member and including arearwardly extending lug projecting into said opening and having anaperture therein, and wedge means extending into said aperture andcooperating with said support member for releasably holding said breakerplate member against said support member.

2. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 1, wherein saidsupport member includes means for providing a plurality of seatsthereon, said support member having one of said openings in each of saidseats, and said breaker plate structure includiir a plurality of saidbreaker plate members having portions conforming to and abutting againstsaid seats.

3. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 2, wherein saidbreaker plate members include curved impact surfaces disposed forpresenting increments thereof generally perpendicularly with respect totrajectories of pieces of material being processed projected from theimpeller structure.

4. A breaker plate structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said supportmember has seat means thereon and said opening therein adjacent amidportion of said seat means, said breaker plate member being disposedagainst said seat means and including a first pair of seat meansabutting surfaces disposed adjacent one end thereof and having agenerally V-shaped horizontal cross section, said breaker plate memberhaving a second pair of seat means abutting surfaces adjacent anopposite end thereof and having a generally V-shaped horizontal crosssection, and said lug of the breaker plate member projecting frombetween said first and second mentioned pair of surface means.

5. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 4, wherein said firstpair of surface means and said second pair of surface means are inclinedrearwardly from the vertical from their respective ends toward the lug.

6. A breaker plate structure for installation in a crushing apparatus ofthe type including a central upright rotatable impeller structure andcylindrical housing means surrounding said impeller structure, saidbreaker plate structure comprising a breaker plate member abutting aportion of said housing means, said portion of the housing means havingan opening therethrough, said breaker plate member including arearwardly extending lug projecting through said opening and having anaperture therein, and wedge means extending into said aperture andco-operating with said housing means for releasably holding said breakerplate member against said portion of the housing means, said wedge meansincluding a T-shaped wedge element having a stem insertable into saidaperture in the lug, and a complementary pin element insertable intosaid aperture and cooperable with said stem for securing the breakerplate member.

7. A breaker plate member for use in crushing apparatus of the typedescribed including impact surface means at one side thereof, a pair ofsupport surface means at an opposite side thereof and adjacent oppositeends thereof for abutting against a complementary support structure,each of said support surface means having a generally V-shapedcross-section taken in a predetermined plane, and an integral attachmentlug extending rearwardly from between said pair of support surfacemeans, said lug having an aperture therethrough for accommodating wedgemeans which serve to secure and draw the breaker plate member againstthe support structure when the breaker plate member is fully assembledin the crushing apparatus, each of said pair of support surface meansbeing inclined rearwardly with respect to said impact surface means andfrom its associated end of the member toward said attachment lug.

8. A breaker plate member, as defined in claim 7, wherein said impactsurface means has an arcuate horizontal cross section.

9. In a breaker plate structure of the type described, an upstandingbody member including integral hook means extending rearwardly from anupper margin of a rearwardly facing side thereof and detachablyconnectable to a support structure, means on said body member providinga seat on an upstanding side of said body member disposed forwardly ofsaid rearwardly facing side for accommodating a breaker plate member tobe assembled therewith, means in said body member providing an openingin and extending rearwardly from said seat for accommodating anapertured attachment lug of a breaker plate member to be assembled withsaid body member, and said body member including means providing anaperture between said sides and traversing said opening means foraccommodating a securing element such as a wedge when a breaker platemember is assembled with and secured with respect to said body member.

10. A breaker plate structure including a body member, as defined inclaim 9, and a breaker plate member, said breaker plate member includinga generally centrally located lug extending into said opening and havingan aperture therethrough aligned with said aperture means of said bodymember, said lug terminating short of said rearwardly facing side, saidseat means and said breaker plate member including complementarysurfaces providing direct support for said breaker plate member entirelyaround the periphery thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,844,331 Adams July 22, 1958 2,991,949 Sellars July 11, 1961 3,090,579Bridgewater Sept. 19, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 371,583 Great Britain Apr.28, 1932

1. IN A CRUSHING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED HAVING A CENTRALUPRIGHT ROTATABLE IMPELLER STRUCTURE, CYLINDRICAL HOUSING MEANSSURROUNDING SAID IMPELLER STRUCTURE AND BRACKETS SECURED WITHIN SAIDHOUSING MEANS AROUND SAID IMPELLER STRUCTURE AND PRESENTING UPWARDLYFACING SUPPORT EDGE MEANS AND UPSTANDING ABUTMENT SURFACE MEANS, ABREAKER PLATE STRUCTURE DISPOSED AROUND SAID HOUSING MEANS AND RADIALLYOUTWARDLY OF THE IMPELLER STRUCTURE AND INCLUDING A SUPPORT MEMBERDISPOSED AGAINST SAID SURFACE MEANS AND INCLUDING HOOK MEANS ENGAGINGOVER SAID EDGE MEANS, SAID SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN, ABREAKER PLATE MEMBER ABUTTING SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND INCLUDING AREARWARDLY EXTENDING LUG PROJECTING INTO SAID OPENING AND HAVING ANAPERTURE THEREIN, AND WEDGE MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID APERTURE ANDCOOPERATING WITH SAID SUPPORT MEMBER FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID BREAKERPLATE MEMBER AGAINST SAID SUPPORT MEMBER.